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Dash Bubble - 2012 Overland

54K views 108 replies 58 participants last post by  18jcgha79 
#1 ·
Hi All, a couple of weeks ago noticed my defroster vent startng to raise in the middle , after feeling around noticed a bubble had formed on the leather dash pushing it upwards around the edge, also a few other smaller air bubbles in various spots of the dash. Dealer is replacing the whole dash tomorrow with a new one, wondering if anyone has had this done? I know its a big job so a little worried however given the car is less than a year old I did not want this to get worse over time, also getting the rattle in the pano roof fixed while its there, any stories on what I should expect? The dealer has been really good to work with and have done a few things with no issues in the past that should have been caught at the factory, any input would be great.
Thanks
 
#2 ·
I know both of those fixes are major tear apart and put together repairs. I've heard that if the techs know what they're doing, you should be fine. Please let us all know how it works out. Neither issue is all that rare, so the knowledge base is there for the techs.
 
#5 ·
I had the same problem on my 2011 Overland. Dealer said it was a PITA job, but the replacement looks great and I haven't had a problem since. We'll see what happens next summer when it's baked in the sun.

It's funny to me when I read about the same problems others have had. My dealer makes me feel like every time I have a problem that is something unique that they (or Chrysler) have never seen before.
 
#9 ·
Dealerships lie. I bought a quad cab Hemi 1500 4x4 in Aug of 2008 when all hell broke loose in the economy. The dealership was empty and there was discount after discount offered. I asked how sales were going and was told it was their best month yet. I bought a nice Big Horn packaged pickup for 50% of msrp.
 
#7 ·
James722 said:
Lol...They just told me that I'm the first customer to come in with this problem.
Me too. I'll buy that in the case that it's the first time that specific dealer saw it....my dealer told me that they called Chrysler and there were no reports of the issue and I have read several with the problem on the web forums.
 
#11 ·
I had the same issue with my dash. Hard to believe given the cost of the vehicle. My dealer told me the cost will be upwards of 2k and it wasn't covered by them. I have escalated to Jeep NA, and so far they are working with me. They may cover 2k...not sure yet. If you have not done so you should call jeep at 877-426-5337 to report the problem.
 
#12 ·
When we traded the 2011 Limited for the 2014 Overland, the new one had to be transferred from another lot (same dealer, different location) so they gave us a 2012 Overland loaner to drive home that night. The dash on it was very bubbled between the glass and center stack, just to the right of the instrument cowl. It almost looked like the leather shrunk there and lifted off the dash.

When we went back the next day to pickup our new Overland, we found some small dimples, sort of "pock" marks in the leather dash. They dealer was great (Benchmark in BHM). The service manager took photos and said they would replace it. It took a few weeks to get the part in, but they took care of it. It was a two-day job. When I mentioned the bubbled dash on the loaner, he said they had seen a few instances of that, but not many, and it was covered under warranty. I would say that if this happened out of warranty, I'd probably find a good interior shop to fix it without actually replacing the dash itself. I've seen some amazing repairs done on leather and interior trim done by good repair shops.
 
#14 ·
There's really only a couple explanations. Either they are using a poor quality glue, or the leather wasn't pre shrunk.

I had the same problem in my 2011. Luckily my dealer replaced under warranty. They got Chrysler involved because mine was one of the first cases. I told them it was going to be a big issue and they laughed at me.
 
#16 ·
There's really only a couple explanations. Either they are using a poor quality glue, or the leather wasn't pre shrunk.

I had the same problem in my 2011. Luckily my dealer replaced under warranty. They got Chrysler involved because mine was one of the first cases. I told them it was going to be a big issue and they laughed at me.
There are a lot more possible explanations. It won't be glue quality, because once a glue is approved for use through validation testing that is the only glue that will be used. Could be an adhesive failure where the glue bond fails (inconsistent glue application, too long of a cure time between glue application and bonding, inconsistent bond temperatures, contamination on one or both of the mating surfaces, etc.), or could be a cohesive failure where one of the bonded materials fails. My bet is there is a 1 or 2 MM layer of foam between the leather and the IP top pad, and the foam itself has deteriorated and failed in the heat it is exposed to. This would be more likely to occur in warmer climates.

I work for a large automotive interiors supplier and we supply several leather wrapped IP's.
 
#15 ·
I just bought a 2011 yesterday from the dealership and it has this problem.. I should have gotten them to fix it before I bought it..

It has 47,000 miles.. think they will cover it? I know I just need to check but wondering if I'm being unreasonable or it is something I should fight/expect...

This is my first.. nice car...

Never had the dealership fix or help in anything.. My past wranglers I just expected stuff like this dealt with it or upgraded.

Colin
 
#26 ·
Bubbled dash

I just bought a 2011 yesterday from the dealership and it has this problem.. I should have gotten them to fix it before I bought it..

It has 47,000 miles.. think they will cover it? I know I just need to check but wondering if I'm being unreasonable or it is something I should fight/expect...

This is my first.. nice car...

Never had the dealership fix or help in anything.. My past wranglers I just expected stuff like this dealt with it or upgraded.

Colin
I have the same problem but my dealership has sent me to a nearby upholstery shop that they use to fix it at no cost to me. You should tell them that you will not buy the car if they don't fix it. I think you have about 72 hours to change your mind. This may be a little late. The shop told me that they fix this type of problem all the time. It is a 2 day job and they have to take the windshield out! I will let you know how the repair comes out.
FYI:He quoted the dealership a price of @$650 to fix it.
 
#17 ·
The dealer got authorization from Jeep NA to replace my dash. Work scheduled for the 28th. It will be a 2 to 3 day job but no charge and no real explanation what went wrong. I expected more of a fight but even the head of service said if that was his car ...He would be pissed.

@Colin..... In your case I would call Chrysler and be persistent but professional. Pull down supporting examples of other cases.....Good luck!!!!
 
#19 · (Edited)
2012 Overland Dash

I bought a new 2102 Overland. Now with 55000 miles I noticed the leather dash had curls and bubbles. About 30% to 40% had issue. Went to Dealer who said vehicle was out of warranty. Sent me to Jeep HQ who reported the DM with dealer had made offer for repair. When back to dealer service. They wanted me to pay $500.00 of the cost for replacement of dash. They also reported that 2 other Overland's had come in with same issue and each was out of warranty. They did send one to two leather repair shop who reported the dash had to be replaced. I called Jeep HQ back and the refused to override the DM person and could provide no assistance. I am so pissed. I have a meeting set again for Friday. My daughter is a lawyer. She advised on Implied Warranty. She reported that I paid an additional cost for the Overland instead of a Grand Cherokee with a vinyl dash. That with paying for for the leather I had the implied expectation that the leather dash should have life cycle that met or exceeded the vinyl dash.

I suspect that Jeep is aware they have a problem and are trying to avoid the issue. In reading more, this issue seems to be consistent with the black leather dash.
 
#20 ·
I have the same issue with a 2011 Overland black dash. It was minor when I bought it last year and now the whole top of the IP has leather delaminated from the substrate. I work in the automotive interior supplier industry and this would never pass testing nor make it out the door as a quality product. I too have been told that I am out of warranty! My question is does anyone have a good fix for this? What type of glue would work or other ideas to fix it?? Does anyone know what company makes this part?
 
#21 ·
2012 grand cherokee1 overland

I have the de-gluing problem with 45k miles and out of the 36 month warranty 2012 Grand Cherokee Overland. Chrystler has told my dealer they will pay 90% of the cost to repair. The dealer told me that will come to about $150 for me to pay. I took it to the dealer today so he could take pictures to submitt to Chrysler, they will let me know early next week if the claim is accepted. I belive that this is a manufactures defect on a $42k car and Chrysler should be responsible for the entire amount, but I also believe that this is the best I will do without taking legal action and we all know that will be more than $150.
 
#22 ·
I have the de-gluing problem with 45k miles and out of the 36 month warranty 2012 Grand Cherokee Overland. Chrystler has told my dealer they will pay 90% of the cost to repair. The dealer told me that will come to about $150 for me to pay. I took it to the dealer today so he could take pictures to submitt to Chrysler, they will let me know early next week if the claim is accepted. I belive that this is a manufactures defect on a $42k car and Chrysler should be responsible for the entire amount, but I also believe that this is the best I will do without taking legal action and we all know that will be more than $150.
lucky you,
I was told by jeepcares to take it to a jeep dealer for pics, only to be told to get lost theres nothing we can do...told them I had an appointment set up but hey its only a 2012 overland with a dash that looks like crap...oh well
 
#23 ·
I just purchased a 2012 Overland with the saddle dash. The leather has come up at the front of the dash, down where it meets the windshield. It's caused it to bubble up down there. It's a 2012 with 39k miles so I'm just a tick over on miles for the warranty. What are the odds the dealer of Jeep will cover it? Am I basically at the mercy of the local dealer?
 
#27 ·
Unfortunately I've been fighting for a year now.. and just tired and pretty much have given up on Jeep..

I had it setup to be fixed though Jeep Cares but somehow I got into the USA queue and once they found out I was in Canada they transferred me to Canada Jeep Cares and they clearly don't care. All I get though them in standard template replies. My VIN has now been flagged with the issue and that it will not be fixed.. so I'm screwed.

Bought the Jeep 12 months ago $34k its now appraised at $18k from the dealership to trade in.
I was quoted at $4k from the dealership to fix.
 
#28 ·
I have this problem on my 2012 Overland and made the mistake of waiting too long to fix it. At about 85k miles now and the dealership is saying the miles are beyond the manufacturers warranty (something like 36k). Does anyone know any tricks to get around this so they fix it? It's such a nice looking vehicle, but has this old saggy dashboard. Any advice is appreciated.
 
#30 ·
For those who haven't been able to have it replaced under warranty or worked out by Jeep Cares, wouldn't an upholsterer be able to address this? Sure the leather quality may be crap, but having this lifted, and re-adhered isn't out of the realm of a good auto upholsterer. Anyone done it?
 
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